HyperX Cloud Mix Rose Gold Edition Review: Bluetooth Headset's New Look
The HyperX Cloud Mix headset delivers with excellent sound quality, comfort, understated design, premium build quality and Bluetooth capabilities, but its high price tag is a turn off.
The HyperX Cloud Mix offers comfort, sound quality and ease-of-use that make it a serious contender. The inclusion of Bluetooth is great, but since it’s not a gaming-friendly feature, it doesn’t justify the expensive price.
Pros
+
Simple, elegant design
+
No software requirement – works well out of the box
+
Lightweight and comfortable
+
Excellent sound quality
Cons
-
Lots of slack cable can sway and be picked up on mic
-
Very short charging cable
-
Hefty price tag
Why you can trust Tom's Hardware
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The HyperX Cloud Mix tempts by combining the power of a wired 3.5mm gaming headset with the versatility of wireless Bluetooth capability. Today, HyperX has increased temptation even further with a new color option, trendy Rose Gold.
The headset looks great with its new look, the overall gaming experience is wonderful and it’s certified for to play hi-res audio and virtual 7.1 surround sound. But we doubt you’ll be using Bluetooth for gaming much, especially considering the feature’s restrictions. Therefore, this gaming headset is best reserved for those with so much need for Bluetooth for types of media besides gaming that it warrants the hefty price tag ($199.99 MSRP).
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
HyperX Cloud Mix Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Driver Type
40mm neodymium
Impedance
40 Ohms
Frequency Response
10-40,000Hz
Design Style
Closed-back
Microphone Type
Noise canceling condense
Connectivity
3.5mm, Bluetooth
Weight
With mic: 0.61 pounds (275g), Without mic: 0.57 pounds (260g)
Cord Length
3.5mm cable: 4.2 feet (1.3m), 3.5mm extension cable: 6.6 feet (2m), Micro USB to USB 2.0 charging cable: 1.6 feet (0.5m)
Battery Life
20 hours
Lighting
None
Software
None
Design and Comfort
The Cloud Mix offers a clean, streamlined and understated design; opting for elegant simplicity over flash. Our review unit is the new Rose Gold Edition, featuring a striking white color scheme accented with metallic pink on the logo and adjustable earcup connectors. The matte finish on the earcups prevents fingerprint smudges. This attractive color scheme will pair well with white PC builds and gaming laptops, but it may clash with darker hardware. I would have preferred metallic gray accents to pink, but it’s nice that there is a flirtier option available. For those who prefer a stealthier look, the Cloud Mix is still available in its original black with gray HyperX logos on the outside of each earcup.
There’s no light show to be found here, but the Cloud Mix really doesn’t need it. Everything about the Cloud Mix’s design screams premium.
HyperX’s Cloud line of headsets is known for soft and airy headbands and earcups. But the Cloud Mix is also lightweight all around, making it extra portable. Without its detachable mic, it weighs just 0.57 pounds (260g), compared to the HyperX Cloud Alpha S’ 0.68 pounds (310g). Even with the mic, it only weighs 0.61 pounds (275g), which makes long gaming sessions a joy.
The earcups are adjustable with a simple push-pull design, making a snug, comfortable fit easy to achieve. The memory foam material lining the earcups cushions the ears well but prolonged use can result in your ears taking a sweat bath, an issue common among headsets with a closed back design. Volume, Bluetooth on/off and mic on/off controls are conveniently located on the headset earcups, as well as on the detachable braided cable.
The Cloud Mix’s cable has considerable length. For use with a console controller with a 3.5mm jack, the headset’s 4.2-foot cable offers ample length without getting in your way. To use with your PC, an additional 6.6-foot extension cable with twin 3.5mm plugs must be attached or else you can’t use the mic (the PC doesn’t detect one). This resulted in an excessive amount of slack cable that occasionally got in the way when gaming. of course, the headset can be used for PC gaming without the extension cable if you have no need for a microphone.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
The Cloud Mix headset also comes with a Micro USB to USB 2.0 charging cable that measures out to a scant 1.6 feet. A longer charging cable would have been ideal, as that would have allowed continuous use while charging the device for extended life on the go. The absence of USB-C for fast charging is definitely felt here.
These minor issues aside, the Cloud Mix is an attractive, comfortable and lightweight headset ideal for long gameplay sessions and listening to music on the go.
Audio Performance
As is typical of HyperX’s Cloud series of gaming headsets, the Cloud Mix exhibits excellent sound quality, and it’s also a significant step up from previous iterations. When the Cloud Mix first game out (in black) it was the first in the Cloud line to be certified to play hi-res content (today, the HyperX Cloud Orbit S does too). Its earcups feature a dual-chamber design that aims to help keep the powerful bass from dominating the mix, as is common with stereo headsets. Low frequencies sounded absolutely massive, mids and highs were clear and crisp. At no point when listening to music or watching movies did I hear distortion or muddiness. Whether I was listening to complex soundscapes or rewatching the Battle of Helm’s Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers movie, the Cloud Mix delivered clear separation of frequency ranges and convincing virtual 7.1 surround.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
Gaming with the Cloud Mix was likewise a great experience. The built-in virtual 7.1 surround sound made game worlds feel much more immersive. Thanks to the clarity of the audio, I was able to pick up subtle nuances that eluded me on other gaming headsets. While playing Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, I was able to pinpoint the physical location of my AI teammates, thanks to well-tuned positional audio. In Doom, I was startled by the snarling of Imps leaping at my back, but thanks to this tell, I was able to swiftly turn and gib them like John Wick. Explosions, sword strikes, weapon fire and environmental destruction sounded rich and meaty without drowning out other, more subtle aspects of in game audio.
The Cloud Mix’s detachable boom mic also provided great clarity without sounding nasally. My voice retained its natural resonance in chat, and pop was minimal, thanks to the mics windscreen. The mic’s noise cancellation was also quite effective, though there were moments where the swaying cable made itself very audible during gameplay. This is a minor complaint, though, as the audio quality of the boom mic is firmly ahead of much that is currently available.
With Bluetooth mode, there are some trade offs. Hi-res audio is not supported, nor is the detachable boom mic. Audio quality was still excellent with Bluetooth enabled, but audiophiles may miss being able to experience richer sound on the go. The built-in mic, located in the left earcup of the headset, does pick up significantly more ambient room noise, making it less than ideal for gaming but perfectly suitable for conversations when paired with a mobile phone.
Features and Software
The Cloud Mix is a plug-and-play affair and connects via dual 3.5mm plugs to PCs via the included cable extension and through a single 3.5mm plug to phones, tablets and console controllers.
The headset pairs easily with Bluetooth enabled devices but can only pair with one device at a time. This is something to keep in mind if you plan on using the Cloud Mix wirelessly with multiple devices.
Battery Life
The included MicroUSB to USB 2.0 charging cable can ready the Cloud Mix for up to 20 hours of wireless use. Depending on your preferred volume levels, this figure can vary. During testing, we found that 20 hour battery life is achievable at reduced volumes, but for those who like to crank their music, 10 hours or less is a more realistic expectation.
Bottom Line
The HyperX Cloud Mix is an impressive headset that puts attractive design, excellent sound quality, Bluetooth capabilities and ease of use all into one impressive package, and the new Rose Gold Edition makes that package even prettier.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
But the headset comes with a hefty price tag. Another offering in HyperX’s Cloud line, the HyperX Cloud Flight, offers comparable audio quality and wireless connectivity for $60 less; although, you’ll miss out on hi-res audio, get a reduced a frequency range and will require a USB port for wireless connectivity.
If Bluetooth, as opposed to the Cloud Flight’s 2.4 GHz connection that requires a USB port, is an absolute must for you, then the Cloud Mix stands out. But for gaming, the Bluetooth mode is less appealing because it lacks hi-res audio and you’re forced to use the inferior built-in mic instead of the detachable one. While the Cloud Mix is a superior product in many ways, there are more budget-friendly options if you can forgo its Bluetooth feature, which for gaming seems probable. We’d also prefer a longer charging cable and fast charging over USB-C.
If Bluetooth outside of gaming figures into your use case prominently, the Cloud Mix is a great buy. Overall, the Cloud Mix does a superb job as a high-performance gaming headset and as a set of Bluetooth headphones if you aren’t phased by its price.
